Chi dedicated to honoring vets for decades

By Kim Se-jeong

“‘Give me chocolate!’ was the first English that Koreans learned after liberation. During the war, we wanted to thank you, but you were gone. Decades have passed, now I’d like to thank you on behalf of the Korean people.”

This is part of a speech by Chi Kap-chong, 85, chairman of the United Nations Korean War Allies Association (UNKWAA). For years he has made similar speeches to groups of Korean War veterans when they revisit Korea in April, May, June, April, September and November as part of the “Revisit Korea Program.”

His speech evokes tears from veterans and their families, who come back to discover the sights and sounds of modern Korea.

Approximately 700 vets and their family members are invited every year for one week.

The vets visit battlegrounds where they lost their comrades, go on a tour of the War Memorial in Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone,

visit Insa-dong to find an authentic souvenir and enjoy getting lost in Bukchon Hanok Village.

Without Chi, however, what has become a proud annual program for the Korean military community would not have been possible.

“This is only a small token of appreciation. Showing them what we have achieved over the years is also an expression of appreciation,” the chairman told The Korea Times as to why he came up with the idea in 1969.

He recalled that it wasn’t an easy decision for the Korean government short on financial resources. The program formally launched in 1975.

It is widely estimated that approximately two million non-Korean nationals participated in the Korean War.

As next year marks the 60th year since the three-year-long war came to a halt, the number of Korean War vets having revisited is expected to mark 30,000, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Taking care of Korean War veterans, a destiny

Those who hear what Chi has done in taking care of Korean War veterans might ask his motivation: What drove him to sell a family inherited orchard to visit Korean War veterans abroad?

What motivated him to erect 13 Korean War Participation Memorials and countless battleground memorials from scratch? What was he thinking when he was asking around for money to make memorials?

His answer is simple: “Someone has to do this. Who else could do this?” he said, and Chi’s story as a young adult is self-explanatory as to why he is the perfect fit.

His meaningful contact with soldiers goes back to 1945 when Korea was liberated from the 36-year Japanese colonization.

“I was studying dentistry in Seoul. While I was back home in Gwangju (South Jeolla Province) for a summer break, Korea was liberated and U.S. troops came to my town,” he said.

The little English he had learnt in high school came handy, he said, and the U.S. soldiers hired him as a translator/interpreter.

That connection continued until the outbreak of the Korean War. For two years in Seoul where he studied, he lived with Col. Turn Price in Seoul, and worked for the U.S. Military government part time.

During the Korean War, he was employed by Reuters, working as a war correspondent enabling him to witness battlegrounds and conditions soldiers fought in up close across the country, and to establish networks of officers in the military community.

After the ceasefire, he started working for then Yonhap Daily. The defining work in his brief journalist career was a world tour in which he visited Korean War veterans in 16 countries that dispatched troops to the Korean peninsula. The five-month trip cost him almost $10,000.

“Back then, it ($10,000) was enough to pay nearly 100 journalists for two years,” he said, sympathizing with his boss who couldn’t help but be reluctant in sponsoring his trip fully. He sold an orchard inherited from his father.

Around that time, he also founded the UNKWAA, which he is still representing. With an official launch in 1963, he quit Yonhap to dedicate himself full-time.

Between 1981 and 1988, he served as a member of the National Assembly.

Memorials, etc.

Besides the revisiting program, Chi was behind all the Korean War Participation Memorials — altogether 13 — and battleground memorials — he only remembers it’s several dozen. He was closely involved in its establishment, from selecting a spot for each memorial to each stone selection and its design.

The Ethiopian memorial dedication ceremony in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province in 1968 was attended by the Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie.

He also launched a scholarship project.

“When I was in Canada in 1975, one battalion which sent troops to the Korean War donated $1,000 for a memorial construction. I proposed that they used the money to construct a ‘living monument’ by giving scholarships to students from the battleground region.”

The Canadian battalion began to send $200 every year since then, and from 1977 Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand have joined as well.

Not all experiences were pleasant.

When the construction of the War Memorial of Korea went underway, he was invited to be part of an advisory committee. It was 1988 right after the Roh Tae-woo administration.

One day Chi was approached by what he only identified as Lieutenant General Lee from the construction committee, asking his opinion on naming the place “Roh Tae-woo Library.”

“No way, that can’t be. I said so. And I was expelled from the committee,” he said laughing.

Recognitions

Last month, the New Zealand government honored Chi with a medal recognizing his efforts in taking care of Korean War vets from New Zealand. That was the 11th honor he had received from countries including Korea, the Philippines, Luxembourg, the United States, Canada, South Africa and Belgium.

On the wall of his Yeoido office is a photo of him together with the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The Queen awarded

him with the “Order of the British Empire” for his effort in promoting Korea and U.K. relations during her visit to Korea in April 1999.

Col. Jeremy Ramsden, a defense attache at the New Zealand Embassy in Korea, said Chi’s work moved him. “He strikes me as a very passionate and committed person to ensure that the memories of the veterans are unforgotten.”

A new project

The chairman Chi’s new project is “Father memorial” for the children who lost fathers during the Korean War. This memorial specifically targets Koreans.

To the dedication ceremony, “I’ll invite all those who lost father, and have them cry out ‘father!’” he said.

He hasn’t been able to raise fund for the new project, but he has a sense of urgency pushing him. “The children are in their 60s at the youngest. I don’t have much time.”